Phoenixville Hospital employee fired after improperly viewing patients' medical records

David Mekeel, Reading Eagle, Pa.
·1 min read

Jul. 8—An employee at Phoenixville Hospital has been fired after viewing patients' medical records without authorization.

According to a statement issued Friday by officials from Tower Health, which operates the hospital, the incident was discovered as part of the hospital's routine monitoring of employees' access to patients' electronic medical records.

A recent review showed an employee had accessed a patient's medical records May 1 without any apparent legitimate reason. Hospital officials began an investigation that ultimately showed the employee had accessed the medical records of several patients between October 2021 and May 1.

The employee was immediately suspended and later fired. Hospital officials did not specify what role the employee served at the hospital.

The information that was improperly accessed included names, addresses, dates of birth, dates of appointments at the hospital, diagnoses, data on vital signs, medications, test results and notes, according to hospital officials.

In some instance, partial Social Security numbers, the names of medical insurance providers and medical insurance identification numbers were also viewed. The hospital is offering free credit monitoring to patients whose partial Social Security numbers and medical insurance information was accessed.

Hospital officials said they are not taking the incident lightly.

"Phoenixville Hospital takes its responsibility to safeguard personal and protected health information very seriously," the statement reads.

Hospital officials have contacted the patients impacted by the breach and have been providing additional training to employees about appropriate access to patient information. They said they are also investigating potential improvements to the hospital's privacy monitoring tools and processes.

Anyone with questions about the incident or who would like additional information can contact the hospital at 855-516-3851 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.